Fox cross breed

[Ronin Shinobi]

Is it possible for a fox to cross breed with another canine? I know it's possible for wolf, coyotes and dogs, but I could not find anything on fox crossbreeding with another canine species.

[Ronin Shinobi]

Thanks Erick.

[Janus]

Well unfortunately I also could not anything other than they are their own species (vulpine) and while they may share some similarities they probably have enough differences that crossbreed would die from mutations. Wolves and Coyotes are still canines so they can breed at will and have successful offspring.

I consulted with a friend of mine who has raised foxes and he concurs that they cannot crossbreed with the canines.

[Ronin Shinobi]

Pity, but nature has it's reasons like you said Janus. Still I think I might pull it off using using what Erick said, combining it with the Biotech laboratory angle.

[Janus]

Hey just check my sig line "there is a 5% chance of anything happening".

[Tinker Dragoon]

This seems the appropriate place to ask this. I have heard that dog wolf crosses tend to be mules (unable to reproduce). Anyone know if there's any truth to it?

Nope, wolf-dog hybrids are completely fertile, as are coyote-dog hybrids. Supposedly, wolves can also interbreed with foxes and produce fertile offspring, while dogs can crossbreed with foxes to produce sterile offspring, but to my knowledge no such hybrids have ever been authenticated.

[Ronin Shinobi]

Supposedly, wolves can also interbreed with foxes and produce fertile offspring, while dogs can crossbreed with foxes to produce sterile offspring, but to my knowledge no such hybrids have ever been authenticated.

I'm wondering if foxes are too far off the canine family tree to mate normally with other canine species. Which is why we have no records of the species mating.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Actually not all foxes are vulpines, there are several genera of fox including vulpes, urocyon, and alopex. Dogs, foxes, wolves, coyotes, dholes, jackals, raccoon-dogs etc. belong to the family canidae, though of those only dogs, coyotes, jackals and true wolves are in the genus canis. Thus in biological terms some foxes are vulpines, and none are canines, but all are canids.

Of all the so-called "false dogs," only the hyena and aardwolf are an entirely different family (family hyaenidae, subfamilies hyaeninae and protelinae respectively).

[Ronin Shinobi]

Actually not all foxes are vulpines, there are several genera of fox including vulpes, urocyon, and alopex. Dogs, foxes, wolves, coyotes, dholes, jackals, raccoon-dogs etc. belong to the family canidae

Intresting, means that the foxes form that line can possibly breed with other canine species. At least in theory.

[Tinker Dragoon]

Hypothetically it's possible, but hybridization is more complicated than simply belonging to the same family or genus, and like I said, claims of hybrids between foxes and other canids have never been authenticated. English gamekeepers have long maintained that female hunting dogs could become pregnant by foxes, but alleged hybrids in modern times have generally either been disproven, or destroyed before testing could be done.

[Ronin Shinobi]

but alleged hybrids in modern times have generally either been disproven, or destroyed before testing could be done.

Destroyed? Why would they do that?